Sean "Diddy" Combs has been accused of rape and other crimes by his ex-girlfriend, Cassie, in a bombshell lawsuit that details disturbing claims that she says went on for years.
The singer filed a federal suit on Thursday, alleging a number of accusations against the music mogul, including human trafficking. She also claims that he viciously beat her on many occasions over the course of 10 years.
"After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships," Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, said in a statement. "With the expiration of New York's Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life."
Attorney Ben Brafman said Combs "vehemently denies" the allegations.
According to the complaint, the abuse started in 2005 when Ventura was 19 and she was "lured into a professional and sexual relationship" by Combs, then 37.
"He signed her to his label, Bad Boy Records, and within a few years, lured Ms. Ventura into an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle, and into a romantic relationship with him," the complaint states.
The lawsuit alleges that Combs plied Ventura with drugs and alcohol, causing her to fall into dangerous addictions that controlled her life. It further alleges that Combs took control of all aspects of Ventura's life, from her healthcare to her career opportunities, making her completely beholden to his demands.
The lawsuit describes Combs as a serial domestic abuser, who would regularly beat and kick Ventura, leaving black eyes, bruises and blood.
"Throughout their relationship Mr. Combs was prone to uncontrollable rage, and frequently beat Ms. Ventura savagely. These beatings were witnessed by Mr. Combs’ staff and employees of Bad Boy Entertainment and Mr. Combs’s related businesses, but no one dared to speak up against their frightening and ferocious boss," the complaint states.
Combs also allegedly forced Ventura into repeated encounters with male prostitutes, directing his girlfriend to engage in sex acts with the men while he masturbated and observed and recorded the encounters, according to the lawsuit. He allegedly referred to the arrangement as a "Freak Off."
Ventura was also exposed to "intense violence" that pervaded Combs' rise to fame, the complaint claims. On one alleged occasion, Combs learned that long-time rival Suge Knight was at a restaurant near his home, so he "retrieved multiple guns from a safe and ran out of his home to where he believed Mr. Knight was dining," terrifying Ventura, according to the lawsuit. He also allegedly demanded that Ventura hold his gun in her purse to "reinforce to his young girlfriend that he was violent, powerful, and dangerous."
During a "rough patch" in their relationship in 2011, Ventura had a brief romantic fling with musician Kid Cudi. When she ultimately returned to Combs, he told her "he was going to blow up Kid Cudi's car, and that he wanted to ensure that Kid Cudi was home with his friends when it happened," according to the lawsuit. Around that time, in February 2012, Kid Cudi's car exploded in his driveway.
Ventura tried to escape the "vicious cycle of violence" but was always dragged back, the lawsuit claims, sometimes through threats to her career, and other times with threats of violence towards her and others.
"When she believed that she had finally separated from her long-time abuser, she joined Mr. Combs for a dinner, after which he forced her into her home and raped her while she repeatedly said 'no' and tried to push him away," the complaint states. The alleged incident happened in September 2018.
Ventura required intensive medical and psychological care to recover from the trauma she lived through for nearly a decade, but the harm Combs caused her to experience will "haunt her forever," according to the lawsuit.
"She cannot, however, continue to live in silence about what she endured. Mr. Combs remains immensely powerful, and immensely dangerous. Ms. Ventura therefore seeks justice for the decade of her life that Mr. Combs took away from her with threats of violence, excessive use of drugs, physical and psychological abuse, and sexual slavery," the lawsuit states.
According to Combs' lawyer, the lawsuit was filed following an unsuccessful shakedown attempt.
"For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura's persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail," Brafman said in a statement to multiple outlets. "Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday."
Ventura's attorney Douglas Wigdor claims Combs tried to buy her silence.
"Mr. Combs offered Ms. Ventura eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit," Wigdor said in a statement to several outlets. "She rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all women who suffer in silence. Ms. Ventura should be applauded for her bravery."